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I swear, you wash your jeans too often

19.4.2022

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Are we all compulsive clothes washers? When it comes to our jeans, the answer is yes. Find out why too much cleaning harms them and how to keep them crisp and shapely for a long time.

I love jeans. Always have done. Back in the day, I’d wear them dangerously low on my hips before it was all about body-hugging second-skin tightness. Today, my favourite cut is straight and not too narrow. If I meet someone sporting a cut I like, I always ask: where did you get them from and when? Do they lose their shape? In a recent jeans conversation I had, I got the following reply: «I’ve had these for a good year now and haven’t washed them once.»

Yuck. At least that was my knee-jerk reaction. But shortly after, I came across an article on LinkedIn. In «The Dirty Jeans Manifesto», Chip Bergh – CEO and president of denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. – explains that he too owns and wears jeans that haven’t seen the inside of a washing machine in a year. Well, would you look at that. So maybe this no washing business isn’t as absurd as it sounds after all? But I have questions.

So how often do I really need to wash my jeans?

The answer genuinely is: as little as possible. Definitely not every time after wearing. Although this makes them clean, frequent washing primarily destroys the cotton fibres. Bye-bye perfect fit. It also wears away the wash. Bye-bye favourite shade.

Should grass stains, ice-cream smudges or greasy little fingers stain your denim, Bergh recommends targeted spot treatment. In other words, don’t buckle and put them in the washing machine. Instead, give them a quick wipe where they need wiping. And do this by hand. If your trousers are stain-free, it’s enough to air them regularly or pop them in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer overnight. Everyone’s heard of this hack against unwanted odours by now, right?

How do I wash my jeans properly?

Right, let’s assume you’ve been wearing your jeans for at least 365 days. You’ve aired them, frozen them and spot cleaned them when they needed it. But there will come a time when you really, really, really want to give them a wash. What then? According to Chip Bergh, it’s best to do this by hand. Give them a proper scrub through in water, rinse and hang them up to dry by the waistband. Or you could finally give in and give them a machine wash. Just make sure to run a cold cycle and refrain from using any detergent. But if you must, go for a gentle type or a wool detergent. By the way, fabric softener and tumble drying are absolute no-nos if the fit and fibres of your jeans mean anything to you.

How do I dry and store jeans?

As mentioned earlier, tumble drying is off limits. Instead, do as the CEO of Levi Strauss does: hang your jeans dead straight from a line. Either from the waist or the hem using clothes pegs. This method prevents wrinkles and doesn’t mess with the grain.
The same goes for storage. If you have enough space, hang your jeans on a trouser hanger in true old-school fashion.

Header image: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels

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Laura Scholz

Senior Editor

Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.ch

Always in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.

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